It wasn’t the first fire alarm that truly angered my roommates, but it could have been the second. We were standing out in the cold, sometime in the middle of October, waiting for the police car to show up and turn off the alarm in a routine to which we were all too accustomed. It is my first semester cooking entirely for myself and I am slowly getting a grasp on it. Learning how to cook in college is not for the faint of heart. While it may be convenient to rely on the gastronomical pleasures offered by Sodexo dining services, preparing your own food can be a rewarding experience.
Coming from a household that prides itself on the number of take-out menus plastered on our refrigerator, not the number of spices in the cupboard, I entered this semester with zero knowledge on how to approach the kitchen in my on-campus apartment. I began the first week with a few Italian cultural dishes such as mac and cheese and spaghetti with tomato sauce that I meant to refrigerate after opening. I gradually began to upgrade my cooking, moving on to daring projects such as fried chicken and meatloaf. Over the past three months, I’ve learned a few things that I would like to share.
First, ditch the recipe. I found that it is generally easier to throw a bunch of ingredients in a pan and see how it comes out than to religiously abide by a recipe found on the Web. It is important to make a rough estimation of cooking time based on the consistency of ingredients and portion-size. Once this is determined, you are set — mashing ingredients together and stealing any spices that your roommates may have. Make the dish your own.
Second, speaking of spices, learn to throw them on everything. For the first month of my cooking, I understood little about what spices actually do — thinking they just made your food look a little prettier. To much ridicule, I utilized ketchup as my seasoning — I went through a bottle in a month. I learned that spices, even if you do not know which is which or what may go well together, can truly liven up any meal — turning your chicken from a bland white meat into a flavorful delight. It also makes your home smell really good as you’re preparing, which turns your skeptical roommates into believers. It is brilliant.
Third and final, don’t be afraid to experiment and try new food. If you have ever had a dish that you didn’t like before, then try to make it yourself and see if you can find a way to make it your own. Sometimes there is a different flavoring or spice you could use, turning your entire meal around. It could turn a meal you have hated your entire life into the food you make any time you are too lazy to really cook.
Cooking always seemed like such an impressive feat to me — something you could only get at a restaurant or your girlfriend’s house. I never truly understood how it all came together until I threw myself into it all and refused to buy a meal plan. It was one of the best decisions I made all semester. And by the end of the second officer visit, after turning off the alarm, the officer looked at me and my roommates, asking, “Who’s the chef this time?” I looked over, smiling, admitting it was me; boldly declaring that would be a title my mother would be proud of.